Mastery

The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

Drawing on Zen philosophy and his expertise in the martial art of aikido, bestselling author George Leonard shows how the process of mastery can help us attain a higher level of excellence and a deeper sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in our daily lives.

Whether you're seeking to improve your career or your intimate relationships, increase self-esteem or create harmony within yourself, this inspiring prescriptive guide will help you master anything you choose and achieve success in all areas of your life. In Mastery, you'll discover:

• The 5 Essential Keys to Mastery
• Tools for Mastery
• How to Master Your Athletic Potential 
• The 3 Personality Types That Are Obstacles to Mastery
• How to Avoid Pitfalls Along the Path
• and more...
Praise for George Leonard and Mastery

“George Leonard is a remarkable man who embodies what he teaches: an amazing curiosity, a passionate intelligence, and the rare combination of someone who has both a broad vision and the focused mastery of details.”—Dean Ornish, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectrum

“If he's right—and Leonard has been right so many times about prevailing zeitgeists that you have to wonder if he has a third eye—the upcoming decade might be known as the decade of mastery.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“George Leonard translates the wisdom of Zen into a self-help program for sticking with it—whether you want to learn aikido or need support in realizing long-held goals.”—The New Age Journal

“The practical wisdom in George Leonard's book will have a great influence for many years to come.”—Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom and The Future of the Body

GEORGE LEONARD was a writer, editor, and educator, who introduced Leonard Energy Training (LET), a practice for centering the mind, body, and spirit, to more than 50,000 people in the United States and abroad. He was the author of a number of books on human possibilities and social change, as well as President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute, President of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, and President of ITP International. He died in 2010.

View titles by George Leonard
Introduction

Part One: The Master's Journey
Introduction
1. What Is Mastery?
2. Meet the Dabbler, the Obsessive, and the Hacker
3. America's War Against Mastery
4. Loving the Plateau

Part Two: The Five Master Keys
Introduction
5. Key 1: Instruction
6. Key 2: Practice
7. Key 3: Surrender
8. Key 4: Intentionality
9. Key 5: The Edge

Part Three: Tools for Mastery
Introduction
10. Why Resolutions Fail - and What to Do About It
11. Getting Energy for Mastery
12. Pitfalls Along the Path
13. Mastering the Commonplace
14. Packing for the Journey

Epilogue: The Master and the Fool

About

Drawing on Zen philosophy and his expertise in the martial art of aikido, bestselling author George Leonard shows how the process of mastery can help us attain a higher level of excellence and a deeper sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in our daily lives.

Whether you're seeking to improve your career or your intimate relationships, increase self-esteem or create harmony within yourself, this inspiring prescriptive guide will help you master anything you choose and achieve success in all areas of your life. In Mastery, you'll discover:

• The 5 Essential Keys to Mastery
• Tools for Mastery
• How to Master Your Athletic Potential 
• The 3 Personality Types That Are Obstacles to Mastery
• How to Avoid Pitfalls Along the Path
• and more...

Reviews

Praise for George Leonard and Mastery

“George Leonard is a remarkable man who embodies what he teaches: an amazing curiosity, a passionate intelligence, and the rare combination of someone who has both a broad vision and the focused mastery of details.”—Dean Ornish, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectrum

“If he's right—and Leonard has been right so many times about prevailing zeitgeists that you have to wonder if he has a third eye—the upcoming decade might be known as the decade of mastery.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“George Leonard translates the wisdom of Zen into a self-help program for sticking with it—whether you want to learn aikido or need support in realizing long-held goals.”—The New Age Journal

“The practical wisdom in George Leonard's book will have a great influence for many years to come.”—Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom and The Future of the Body

Author

GEORGE LEONARD was a writer, editor, and educator, who introduced Leonard Energy Training (LET), a practice for centering the mind, body, and spirit, to more than 50,000 people in the United States and abroad. He was the author of a number of books on human possibilities and social change, as well as President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute, President of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, and President of ITP International. He died in 2010.

View titles by George Leonard

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One: The Master's Journey
Introduction
1. What Is Mastery?
2. Meet the Dabbler, the Obsessive, and the Hacker
3. America's War Against Mastery
4. Loving the Plateau

Part Two: The Five Master Keys
Introduction
5. Key 1: Instruction
6. Key 2: Practice
7. Key 3: Surrender
8. Key 4: Intentionality
9. Key 5: The Edge

Part Three: Tools for Mastery
Introduction
10. Why Resolutions Fail - and What to Do About It
11. Getting Energy for Mastery
12. Pitfalls Along the Path
13. Mastering the Commonplace
14. Packing for the Journey

Epilogue: The Master and the Fool